My Mom, a Caribbean Island, and more

A Day in Tela
On Sat. April 26, my mom came for a visit. I picked her up from the airport and showed her the sights around Tela. I even got her to ride bikes with me to explore properly. We biked into town for some baleadas and to sightsee, went to the beach to soak in the sun and swim (unfortunately it was very windy that day so we didn't stay too long), and enjoyed the sunset from a rooftop. Rio Maria and Pico Bonito
The next day we took a bus and went on a 45 minute hike along Rio Maria. The beginning is a gravely dirt road up the hill. We ran into a few kids along the way that had caught a lizard for dinner. The last part of the hike is very narrow and a bit steep. My mom had a rough time but she made it. The reward for our hard work was relaxing and enjoying the waterfalls and swimming holes Rio Maria has to offer. There were a bunch of local kids there performing some crazy stunts. One boy climbed insanely high in a tree and jumped off, heart pounding, into the pool. Another boy found a smooth spot on the face of the waterfall and used it as a water slide. Afterward we headed to the Jungle River Lodge in Pico Bonito where we spent the next two days relaxing by the river. I convinced my mom to try the zip line canopy tour and she had a blast flying through the jungle and over the river. Click on the link to see a quick video of her zooming over the river: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMWJCa1wJzw We also went on two short hikes, where I found a huge grasshopper (don't worry, it's only the shell). We even ate termites... not very vegetarian of me. (I haven't eaten an animal in about 7 years and I willingly ate live termites. It seemed like the right thing to do at the time (somehow) but now I am feeling kind of guilty.) Roatan Island
On Tuesday, May 29, we went to the airport for the 15 min. flight to Roatan, one of the three islands off the Caribbean coast of Honduras. Unlike mainland Honduras, Roatan has many tourists and is much more expensive but it is well worth it. The plane was very small, just big enough for about 15 passengers, with luggage strewn about and the pilots right in front of us in an open cabin. The flights to Roatan are just under $100 round trip but the only other alternative is a rocky, nightmarish, 2 hour ferry that I experienced once and hope to never again. (It's about $40 round trip.)

We landed in Roatan about 11:30am and took a taxi across the island to the West End to explore a few hotel options. The hotels range from $20 a night basic dorm rooms to $200 a night luxury resorts. We ended up at the Dolphin Hotel in a private room with two beds, a (real, actual) hot water shower, and our own private balcony overlooking Half Moon Bay for $40 a night. It was basic but suited our needs well enough. This was the view directly in front of our hotel. The West End is fairly small so we walked up and down the white sandy road exploring restaurants, other hotels, dive shops, and various stores. We stopped for lunch at a Mexican food place, Cannibal Cafe, and then put on our swimsuits to relax for a few hours on the white sands of Half Moon Bay. There wasn't really anyone else there except for a couple people practicing scuba diving. The water was completely calm and clear but there was more sea grass than I usually like. We swam and I snorkeled but didn't really see much there, just a few fish. My mom started to get bit by sand fleas so we decided to go back to the hotel to freshen up for dinner.

For the next 3 days, we soaked up the sweet Caribbean island life and had the following basic routine:
Woke up around 7:00am, read for awhile, enjoyed the ocean view and people watched off our balcony, got ready for the beach, and ate breakfast for around 300L ($16) for both of us. Then we walked down the pier to catch a water taxi for 50L ($2.60) each. The ride to the West Bay is only about 5 minutes and all of it is breathtaking. The West Bay is at the very tip of Roatan and is the most gorgeous, stunning beach I have ever seen. It is the epitome of tropical island paradise. The cool water is the most amazing shades of green and turquoise and blue. It is completely calm and bathtub clear. The beach is backed by verdant jungle and palm trees line the white sand leading to the water.The beach is not completely deserted for on certain days cruise ships ferry people in for a few hours and a few resorts nearby have numerous guests sharing the beach. On May 1, International Labor Day, many locals also came out to enjoy the water and have family picnics. It was refreshing to see that this beauty is not just limited to tourists. Even sharing the beach, it wasn't crowded, and the best stretch of beach, past the hotels and next to the point, is still very empty with only a handful of sunbathers. One day there was some amazing ominous clouds but it never rained and remained a perfect 85 degrees F.A quick swim out from shore brings you to the coral reef for awe-inspiring snorkeling. The coral reef here is the second largest in the world, only beaten by the great barrier reef. Needless to say, the snorkeling is spectacular. The underwater pictures, on the other hand, came out really crappy but here are a few anyway. My mom and I both went out for extended periods numerous times each day. We spotted all kinds of fish but I don't know their names.

This what some looked like: a half fish/half sea horse, a school of black fish with fluorescent purple outlines, a small fish with the top half bright blue and the bottom half bright yellow, a rainbow fish with yellow, red, green, orange, and pink variations making it resemble a mango, a small deep black fish with fluorescent blue polka dots, schools of fish with yellow, black, and white stripes, a plaid fish...

And the coral was a garden itself: purple sea fans, huge brain coral, orange fuzzy organ pipes... it just went on and on. (One day there were thousands of jelly fish all over. They freaked me out at first but they didn't seem to be stinging me or anyone else so I swam right through them. Jelly fish are fascinating to watch... but only when they aren't stinging.)

When not snorkeling or floating around in the crystal clear water, we relaxed in the shade of a palm tree or umbrella, read, and enjoyed a few refreshments. Around 5:00pm we walked down the pier to hail a water taxi back to the West End, showered, walked around the sandy road, and ate dinner (they have all kinds of food to choose from: Thai, Italian, Mexican, seafood, Indian, etc.). Our dinners with drinks for both of us ranged anywhere from 600L ($32) to 1,100L ($58) but they were always delicious with great candlelit atmosphere in open patios or on wooden docks so we could enjoy the sunset over the sea. Then we headed back to the hotel to read and people watch off our balcony before getting a peaceful nights sleep and doing it all over again. (The last night we were there the electricity in the whole city went out from 6:00pm until about midnight. We were still in Honduras after all. Many places had generators but others just relied on candlelight.)

Unfortunately, one bad thing did happen. Someone stole my favorite t-shirt (the yellow one with two giraffes and a heart). I have no idea why someone would come into our hotel room just to steal my t-shirt. I had my wallet right there but they didn't steal any money. It baffles me to no end. Anyway...

After 4 days on the island, getting into the groove of the laid-back Caribbean atmosphere it was hard to tear ourselves away. The only way I could leave was with the knowledge I was returning to Roatan (or maybe Utila, another island off the Honduras coast) in about 6 weeks (when I might even get my scuba diving certificate! and Christina and I will be on a tighter budget staying in hotels with kitchens and cooking all our own meals). But grudgingly we departed.

On Sat. May 3 we took a taxi to the airport to catch our flight back to La Ceiba at noon. Two chickens were among the passengers... really, I'm not kidding. Then we hopped on a bus back to Tela. Upon arrival, we walked around town a bit. Tela being a relatively small town, I am constantly running into people I know. These are some students I saw that day. Then we ate dinner and went to back to my house to sleep. On Sunday my mom was off to San Pedro for her flight back to California.

Another Visitor
I am now looking forward to yet another visit. My friend, Shannon, is coming on Saturday for a week. Sadly for me, she is not a beach girl so we will be sticking mostly to jungle areas. I love her anyway.